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Nose to beak with a Christian hero heavyweight champ

By Rowan Hooper

(Image&colon; David Pattyn/naturepl.com)

Stare into the eyes of a Christian icon.

This formidable creature is the largest living animal able to fly. The average weight of a Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is 11.5 kilograms, and its wingspan reaches an albatross-beating 3.5 metres. That sort of bulk requires a lot of fuel, and the bird eats 1.2 kg of fish per day. It can also store fish in its cavernous pouch, which turns bright red in the breeding season.

And herein lies the explanation for its curious adoption as a Christian symbol. Thomas Aquinas described Christ as a “loving, divine pelican”, as the bird was thought to self-sacrificingly stab itself in the chest to provide a blood meal for its young. This apparent act of devotion led to the pelican being selected as a symbol by, among others, Queen Elizabeth I of England.

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The bird doesn’t actually do this, though it does have a habit of bashing itself with its bill to help bring up fish. This, and the blood-red pouch, seems to have been the basis for the legends of self-harm.